Roof of Catholic church collapses in Campeche, Mexico

Part of the roof of the San Luis Obispo church, in the municipality of Calkiní, north of the capital of the Mexican state of Campeche, collapsed a few hours before Sunday Mass in honor of the Holy Family. No injuries or injuries were reported.

Father Luis Ángel Mendoza Pérez, spokesman for the Diocese of Campeche, told ACI Prensa that around 3:00 pm (local time) on Sunday, December 29, the vault of the temple collapsed “from the entrance of the main door.” until reaching approximately 14 meters in length.”

The collapse occurred almost two hours before the Eucharistic celebration, which was scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

Father Mendoza Pérez highlighted that the area in which the roof fell, as well as a quarter of the temple, “had been restricted to the faithful, with preventive tapes for more than a month,” as a measure to protect those faithful due to the deterioration of the place.

The priest also noted that the parish priest of the temple, Father Fernando Manzo, had requested the “intervention of the competent authorities,” including the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

Like all Catholic churches built in Mexico before 1992—the year in which relations between the State and the Catholic Church were constitutionally reestablished, and its legal status was legally recognized—this temple is federal property, so its repair is the responsibility of civil authorities. Only temples built after 1992 can legally belong to the Catholic Church.

According to publications on the parish’s social networks, on August 1, 2023, a part of the temple’s ceiling fell off. Given this situation, the intervention of INAH Campeche was urgently requested to begin repairs. However, according to the message, “we have not had a response, we cannot wait for it to deteriorate further.”

What is the reason for the collapse?

The church of San Luis Obispolocated in the central square of Calkiní, its construction began in 1548 and was inaugurated on August 29, 1561, with the celebration of its first mass. Completed in 1776, this baroque temple stands out for its wooden altarpiece that is more than four centuries old, its carved pulpit and the baptistery, becoming an important cultural heritage of the region.

According to the spokesperson for the Diocese of Campeche, the INAH detected “a failure of structural origin since the temple was completed in 1776, since the central part of the vault was thicker than the sides, presenting a crack. ”.

The spokesperson explained that this detail explains the constant water leaks in the temple, despite the efforts of the parish priests, who, although “they attended to the situation, there was no definitive solution to the problem.”

Even two days before the collapse, a budget had been approved for the repair of the roof, financed by the National Insurance of the Federal Ministry of Culture. “Unfortunately, inclement weather accelerated the deterioration of the roof until it collapsed,” lamented the spokesperson.

On December 30, Anuar Dager Granja, head of the Civil Protection Secretariat of Campeche, showed up at the scene of the collapse and, according to their report, permission was granted to use the side chapels of the temple and the cloister, which do not represent a risk, for religious celebrations.

The Catholic faithful “without the temple, they feel homeless”

Father Mendoza Pérez expressed that the Catholics of Calkiní are deeply dismayed “at the event, since it is a community with great religious fervor, and the temple was in great demand for the worship service.”

He highlighted that this temple, located in an indigenous Mayan community, has a “very significant value for them, because it represents their identity as a Christian community. Without the temple, they feel homeless, since they consider the parish space as a place of faith and encounter with God.”